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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – While retailers prepare for Black Friday, local plumbers are prepping for what they call “Brown Friday.”

“Brown Friday” is the busiest day of the year for plumbers at Anthony, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. A spokeswoman for the business said they see a 40-50 percent increase in plumbing calls the day after Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving can be very hard on your plumbing system, and people don’t want to call anyone on the holiday. So the next day they might need a plumber,” said Ryver Baynqs, a service plumber with the company.

The Lenexa-based business increase staffing by 50 percent to cover the demand. The most common call they receive are due to clogged toilets.

“Either your toilet has backed up or your kitchen has backed up from all the extra food,” Baynqs said.

Overworking or overloading the garbage disposal in the kitchen can also be problematic.

“You want to put as little down there as you possibly can, especially nothing hard like bones, nothing too fibrous like celery or potato peels,” Baynqs said.

Another issue that tends to come up on “Brown Friday” is that homes run out of hot water.

“The incoming water temperature this time of year is usually lower than usual, which makes the water heater work harder. And if you have more people over, you’re using more hot water for cooking, cleaning, more people bathing, washing hands,” Baynqs explained. “That’s causing your water heater to work even more, too.”

Baynqs said if you notice your toilets, sinks or drains starting to back up, give them time to settle before reusing them. She suggested adding strainers to your shower and tubs, toss food in the trash and avoid throwing anything other than toilet paper in the toilet.

“It’s brown,” Baynqs said. “It’s plumbing. It’s dirty. It’s greasy. It’s everything you don’t want to have to mess with, so do not continue using a plumbing fixture if it’s not draining properly.”

Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling will have staff on-call through the holiday weekend. If you want to learn more about their services, click/tap here.